Garment attachment and garment

ABSTRACT

A garment attachment includes a first connector and a second connector. The first connector is freely connectable to and detachable from a right front part of a front-open garment. The second connector is freely connectable to and detachable from a left front part of the front-open garment. With the first and second connectors, the garment attachment is freely attachable to and detachable from the front-open garment between divided front parts of the garment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a garment attachment and a garment.

BACKGROUND

Garments are required to have various functions according to their useand are also required to have various sizes suitable for physicalcharacteristics of wearers. However, preparing individual garmentshaving various functions and sizes places a large burden both on wearersand manufacturers of garments.

There is known a garment designed to be wearable in daily life andcapable of having a specific function only when required (for example,see Patent Document 1). There is also known a garment the shape of whichcan be changed by a wearer (for example, see Patent Document 2).

CITATION LIST Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] JP2014-100445A

[Patent Document 2] JP2003-113519A

SUMMARY Technical Problem

However, the functions and sizes applicable to the garments disclosed inPatent Documents 1, 2 are naturally limited because, in order to providea specific function to or change the form of the garment, the structureof the garment itself has to be changed.

Objects of the present invention include providing a garment attachmentthat can provide a specific function to a front-open garment and/orchange the size of the garment as desired without changing the structureof the garment itself.

Solution to Problem

To solve the above issues, the invention disclosed in claim 1 is agarment attachment, including:

a first connector that is freely connectable to and detachable from aright front part of a front-open garment; and

a second connector that is freely connectable to and detachable from aleft front part of the front-open garment, wherein

with the first connector and the second connector, the garmentattachment is freely attachable to and detachable from the front-opengarment between divided front parts of the garment.

The invention disclosed in claim 2 is the garment attachment accordingto claim 1, wherein

the first connector and the second connector include teeth of a linearfastener,

the first connector and/or the second connector includes a slider of thelinear fastener, and

with the first connector and the second connector, the garmentattachment is freely attachable to and detachable from the garment in alinear fastener provided to the divided front parts of the garment.

The invention disclosed in claim 3 is the garment attachment accordingto claim 1 or 2, wherein

the garment attachment attached to the garment forms an opening thatconnects inner and outer spaces of the garment, and

the garment attachment further includes an opening-closing part tofreely open and close the opening.

The invention disclosed in claim 4 is the garment attachment accordingto claim 3, further including a position changer to change a position ofthe opening.

The invention disclosed in claim 5 is the garment attachment accordingto claim 4, wherein the opening-closing part and the position changerare a linear fastener that includes sliders between which the opening isformed.

The invention disclosed in claim 6 is the garment attachment accordingto any one of claims 1 to 5, further including:

an air introducer that introduces air inside the garment;

a power source that supplies electric power to the air introducer; and

a connecting part that connects the power source and the air introducer.

The invention disclosed in claim 7 is a garment including the garmentattachment according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

The invention disclosed in claim 8 is the garment according to claim 7,wherein the garment is an air-conditioned garment.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present invention can provide a garment attachment that gives aspecific function to a front-open garment and/or change the size of thegarment as desired without changing the structure of the garment itself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an air-conditioned garment withopening-closing parts on the front part open.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a fan that is mounted on theair-conditioned garment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a garment attachment according to a firstembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the air-conditioned garment to which thegarment attachment according to the first embodiment is attached.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a rope-through part of the garmentattachment according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the air-conditioned garment to which a garmentattachment according to a second embodiment is attached.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the air-conditioned garment to which a garmentattachment according to a third embodiment is attached.

FIG. 8 is a back view of a garment attachment according to a fourthembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the air-conditioned garment to which thegarment attachment according to the fourth embodiment is attached.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, garment attachments as embodiments of the present inventionare described referring to FIGS. 1 to 9. The description below isprovided on the definition that, for a wearer who is wearing a garmentwith a garment attachment attached, the front side of the wearer isfront; the back side of the wearer is back; the upper side of the weareris up; the lower side of the wearer is down; the right-hand side of thewearer is right; and the left-hand side of the wearer is left.

First Embodiment

A garment attachment 100 according to the first embodiment is describedreferring to FIGS. 1 to 5.

The garment attachment 100 according to the first embodiment provides arope-through part for a front-open garment. Through the rope-throughpart, a rope provided on a harness-type safety belt is inserted.

Hereinafter, an air-conditioned garment 200 is described as an exampleof garments to which the garment attachment 100 is attachable. Theair-conditioned garment 200 has a function of cooling the body of awearer.

<Harness-Type Safely Belt>

The harness-type safety belt is a harness equipped with a rope as alifeline through a connector and is worn by a worker who works at a highplace to secure safety of work at a high place.

The rope can be equipped at various positions of the harness-type safetybelt. The harness-type safety belt mainly assumed in this embodimentconnects the rope to the front trunk of the wearer.

The harness-type safety belt to be used is not limited to a specifictype as long as the rope is connected to the position corresponding tothe front trunk of the wearer. Any well-known harness-type safety beltcan be used.

<Air-Conditioned Garment>

Next, the air-conditioned garment 200 is described as an example ofgarments to which the garment attachment 100 is attachable.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air-conditioned garment 200 includes: a garmentbody 210; fans 220, 220 that introduce air inside the garment body 210;a power source 230 that supplies electric power to the fans 220, 220;and a connecting cable 240 that connects the power source 230 and thefans 220, 220. The air-conditioned garment 200 flows the air takeninside the garment body 210 by the fans 220, 220 along the surface ofthe underwear or the body of the wearer to allow the sweat drained fromthe body of the wearer to evaporate. Through evaporation of sweat, thebody is cooled by evaporation heat.

(Garment Body)

The garment body 210 is made of a sheet material having no breathabilityor having breathability that allows the garment body 210 to swell withair introduced by the fans 220, 220. The garment body 210 is formed tocover the trunk and arms of the wearer, as shown in FIG. 1. Although thegarment body 210 in FIG. 1 is formed to be a blouson-type upper garment,the shape of the garment body 210 is not limited thereto. The garmentbody 210 may be formed to be a vest that covers only the trunk of thewearer. To attach the garment attachment 100, however, the garment body210 needs to be a front-open garment the front part of which is dividedat the center into right and left parts.

The garment body 210 includes: a first opening-closing part 211; asecond opening-closing part 212; an air-leakage preventer 213; fanmounters 214, 214; an air-releasing collar part 215; air-releasingsleeve parts 216, 216; and a power-source holder 217. The garment body210 is formed such that the air taken in through the fan mounters 214,214 by the fans 220, 220 is released through the air-releasing collarpart 215 and the air-releasing sleeve parts 216, 216.

(First and Second Opening-Closing Parts)

The first and second opening-closing parts 211, 212 make the garmentbody 210 front-open. The wearer opens and closes the front part of thegarment body 210 with the first and second opening-closing parts 211,212 in wearing the air-conditioned garment 200. As shown in FIG. 1, thefirst opening-closing part 211 is provided to the right divided part ofthe front part of the garment body 210, and the second opening-closingpart 212 is provided to the left divided part. The first and secondopening-closing parts 211, 212 can engage with and disengage from eachother. As the first and second opening-closing parts 211, 212, a normallinear fastener shown in FIG. 1 is used, for example.

FIG. 1 shows a case where the second opening-closing part 212 includes aslider, a box, and a box pin as well as teeth of the linear fastener,and the first opening-closing part 211 includes an insertion pin as wellas teeth of the linear fastener. However, the opening-closing parts 211,212 are not limited thereto. Conversely, the first opening-closing part211 may include the slider, the box, and the box pin as well as theteeth of the linear fastener, and the second opening-closing part 212may include the insertion pin as well as the teeth of the linearfastener.

(Air-Leakage Preventer)

The air-leakage preventer 213 is provided at the lower part of thegarment body 210, as shown in FIG. 1. The air-leakage preventer 213prevents air in the space between the garment body 210 and the body ofthe wearer from leaking outside through the hem part of the garment body210. For example, the air-leakage preventer 213 is formed with anelastic material, such as a rubber cord, and provided so as to circlearound the body of the wearer. When the wearer is wearing theair-conditioned garment 200, the air-leakage preventer 213 narrows thehem part of the garment body 210 to closely fit to the body of thewearer, thereby preventing air from leaking outside through the lowerpart of the garment body 210.

The air-leakage preventer 213 may not be necessary when the garment body210 has a narrow hem part from which only a small amount of air leaks.

(Fan Mounter)

The Fan mounters 214, 214 include: opening holes 214 a, 214 a formed onthe cloth of the garment body 210; and opening-hole stiffeners 214 b,214 b that stiffen the region around the opening holes 214 a, 214 a, asshown in FIG. 1. The fans 220, 220 are mounted on the fan mounters 214,214.

The two fan mounters 214, 214 are formed on the back part of the garmentbody 210 at the same height in the up-down direction, as shown in FIG.1.

The positions where the fan mounters 214, 214 are formed are not limitedto the above, and can be at the lateral part or the front part of thegarment body 210. Also, the number of positions where the fan mounters214 are formed are not limited to two. More or less than two fanmounters 214 may be formed to mount the corresponding number of fans220.

The opening holes 214 a, 214 a are hole parts that connect the outsideand the space between the garment body 210 and the body of the wearerwearing the air-conditioned garment 200. The opening holes 214 a, 214 aare formed on the cloth of the garment body 210 at the positionscorresponding to the right and left waist of the wearer, as shown inFIG. 1.

The opening-hole stiffeners 214 b, 214 b are flat ring-shaped membersmade of plastic, for example. Each opening-hole stiffener 214 b has, atits center, a hole part the size of which is substantially equal to thesize of the opening hole 214 a. As shown in FIG. 1, the opening-holestiffeners 214 b, 214 b are mounted on the inside of the garment body210 such that the hole parts superpose the opening holes 214 a, 214 a.The opening-hole stiffeners 214 b, 214 b thus stiffen the regions aroundthe opening holes 214 a, 214 a of the garment body 210 and allow thefans 220, 220 to be easily mounted on the opening holes 214 a, 214 a.

The opening-hole stiffeners 214 b, 214 b may be mounted on the garmentbody 210 with any method, such as sewing or gluing. The opening-holestiffeners 214 b, 214 b may also be covered with lining cloths on theinside of the garment body 210.

(Air-Releasing Collar Part)

The air-releasing collar part 215 is an opening formed between the neckof the wearer and the end of the collar part of the garment body 210, asshown in FIG. 1. The air-releasing collar part 215 releases air havingbeen introduced by the fans 220, 220 through the fan mounters 214, 214and having flowed along the body or the underwear of the wearer.

(Air-Releasing Sleeve Part)

The air-releasing sleeve parts 216, 216 are openings formed between thearms of the wearer and the ends of the sleeve parts of the garment body210, as shown in FIG. 1. The air-releasing sleeve parts 216, 216 releaseair having been introduced by the fans 220, 220 through the fan mounters214, 214 and having flowed along the body or the underwear of thewearer.

(Power-Source Holder)

The power-source holder 217 is a pocket formed on the inside of thegarment body 210 and houses the power source 230, as shown in FIG. 1.Although the power-source holder 217 is provided at the lower left ofthe front part of the garment body 210 in FIG. 1, the position of thepower-source holder 217 is not limited thereto. The power-source holder217 can be provided at any position on the inside of the garment body210.

The power-source holder 217 is not necessarily a pocket and may take anyform, as long as the power source 230 can be detachably mounted on thegarment body 210. Further, the power-source holder 217 may not beprovided on the garment body 210. For example, the power source 230 maybe attached to the belt of the trousers of the wearer with a clip,instead of being mounted on the garment body 210. The power source 230may also be attached to a certain position of the belt of theharness-type safety belt, which is worn inside the air-conditionedgarment 200, with a clip or the like.

(Cable Holder)

The cable holders 218, 218 hold a connecting cable 240 on the inside ofthe garment body 210. For example, each cable holder 218 has an openingthrough which the connecting cable 240 can be inserted and holds theconnecting cable 240 inserted through the opening.

The cable holders 218, 218 can be made of any material in any shape aslong as the cable holders 218, 218 can hold the connecting cable 240 ata certain position on the inside of the garment body 210. For example,each cable holder 240 can be formed with a vertically long cloth sewn onthe garment body 210 at two positions, the upper and lower positions,like a normal belt loop. Also, the positions of the cable holders 218are not limited to the positions shown in FIG. 1.

(Fan)

The fans 220, 220 are mounted on the fan mounters 214, 214, as shown inFIGS. 1, 2. The Fans 220, 220 introduce air through the opening holes214 a, 214 a into the space between the garment body 210 and the body ofthe wearer.

The fans 220, 220 are supplied with necessary electric power by thepower source 230 through the connecting cable 240.

The fans 220, 220 may be configured as desired as long as the fans 220,220 can be fixed to the fan mounters 214, 214 and can introduce air intothe garment body 210. For example, each fan 220 has a fan body 221 and aring-shaped mounting ring 222 that fixes the fan body 221 to the garmentbody 210, as shown in FIG. 2.

The fan body 221 houses a propeller and a motor that rotates thepropeller (both not illustrated). As shown in FIG. 2, the fan body 221includes: an air introducing part 221 a that constitutes the side intowhich air is taken by the fan 220 in operation; an air sending part 221b that constitutes the side from which air is sent by the fan 220 inoperation; a tubular part 221 c that is a tubular connecting partbetween the air introducing part 221 a and the air sending part 221 b;and a flange 221 d that protrudes from the end of the tubular part 221 cwhere the air introducing part 221 a is provided in a directionsubstantially orthogonal to the lateral surface of the tubular part 221c. The tubular part 221 c is formed to be cylindrical such that theouter shape of its section orthogonal to its central axis is round. Theouter diameter of the tubular part 221 c is equal to or slightly smallerthan the diameter of the opening hole 214 a.

The fan body 221 includes a first connecting terminal 221 e at apredetermined position of the side where the air sending part 221 b isprovided. The first connecting terminal 221 e is connected to theconnecting cable 240. The first connecting terminal 221 e may beconfigured as desired, as long as the first connecting terminal 221 e isconnectable to the connecting cable 240 to receive electric powersupplied by the power source 230.

The mounting ring 222 is a ring-shaped member for mounting the fan body221 to the fan mounter 214. The inner diameter of the mounting ring 222is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the outer shape ofthe tubular part 221 c.

The outer surface of the tubular part 221 c and the inner surface of themounting ring 222 form a fitter (not illustrated). For example, themounting ring 222 has a convex part on its inner surface side, and thetubular part 221 c has a concave part on its outer surface side thatfits on the convex part.

In mounting each fan 220 to the garment body 210, the side of the fanbody 221 where the air sending part 221 b is provided is inserted fromthe outer surface side of the garment body 210 into the opening hole 214a so that the flange 221 d contacts the region around the opening hole214 a of the garment body 210, as shown in FIG. 2. Next, the mountingring 222 is fitted to the outside of the tubular part 221 c from theinside of the garment body 210. By doing so, the flange 221 d and themounting ring 222 tuck the cloth around the opening hole 214 a and thecloth around the hole part of the opening-hole stiffener 214 b. In thisstate, the mounting ring 222 is fixed to the fan body 221 by the fitter.

The fan 220 is thus fixed to the garment body 210.

(Power Source)

The power source 230 supplies electric power to the fans 220, 220. Thepower source 230 has a built-in lithium-ion battery pack provided with asecurity circuit, for example. The power source 230 has a secondconnecting terminal (not illustrated) to connect to the fans 220, 220through the connecting cable 240.

The second connecting terminal may be configured as desired, as long asthe second connecting terminal is connectable to the connecting cable240 and can supply electric power to the fans 220, 220.

In this embodiment, the power source 230 is housed in the pocket as thepower-source holder 217, as shown in FIG. 1. However, the means ofholding the power source 230 is not limited thereto, as described above.

The power source 230 includes a controller (not illustrated) to supplyelectric power at multiple strength levels to the fans in accordancewith operation of the wearer.

For example, the controller includes the following (not illustrated): apower conversion circuit that converts electric power supplied by thelithium-ion battery pack or other batteries into multiple strengthlevels; a remaining-battery measurement circuit that measures theremaining life of the battery of the power source 230; and a strengthinstruction circuit that instructs the power conversion circuit on thestrength.

The power source 230 includes a display and an operation part (notillustrated). The display includes a light-emitting diode (LED), forexample. The display displays, for the wearer, on/off of the power ofthe fans 220, 220 and the strength of the electric power being supplied.The operation part includes, for example, a tactile switch(s) and isused to switch on/off the power and switch the strength of electricpower being supplied to the fans 220, 220.

The wearer is thus allowed to (i) switch on/off the power of the fans220, 220, (ii) switch the strength of electric power supplied from thepower source 230 to the fans 220, 220, and so forth by operating theoperation part while checking the display content on the display.

The controller, the display, and the operation part may not belong tothe power source 230. For example, an individual controller having thesefunctions may be provided at a certain position of the connecting cable240 between the power source 230 and the fans 220, 220.

(Connecting Cable)

The connecting cable 240 connects the power source 230 and the fans 220,220. Through the connecting cable 240, the power source 230 suppliesnecessary electric power for operating the fans 220, 220 to the fans220, 220.

One end of the connecting cable 240 has a third connecting terminal (notillustrated) to be connected to the second connecting terminal of thepower source. The other end of the connecting cable 240 forks into twobranches each end of which has a fourth connecting terminal (notillustrated) to be connected to the first connecting terminal 221 e ofeach fan 220. The connecting cable 240 connects the power source 230 andthe fans 220, 220 as shown in FIG. 1.

The connecting cable 240 may be configured as desired, as long as thepower source 230 can supply necessary electric power for operating thefans 220, 220 to the fans 220, 220.

The connecting cable 240 is held on the inside of the garment body 210by the cable holders 218, 218 as shown in FIG. 1.

<Structure of Garment Attachment>

The garment attachment 100 in the first embodiment is rectangular andlong in the up-down direction, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4. The garmentattachment 100 includes: a first connector 110 at the right end to beconnected to the right front part of the front-open garment; a secondconnector 120 at the left end to be connected to the left front part ofthe front-open garment; and a rope-through part 130 at the center in theright-left direction through which the rope of the harness-type securitybelt is to be inserted.

The garment attachment 100 can be made of any sheet material. However,the garment attachment 100 to be attached to the air-conditioned garment200 for use need to be made of a sheet material having no breathabilityor having breathability that does not prevent the garment body 210 fromswelling with air introduced by the fans 220, 220.

It is preferable that the garment attachment 100 cover the entire lengthof the front part of the garment body 210 in the up-down direction asshown in FIG. 4, so as to keep the inside of the garment body 210airtight.

The width of the garment attachment 100 in the right-left direction maybe any width enough for forming the rope-through part 130. It ispreferable, however, that the width in the right-left direction be asnarrow as possible in a range that allows the rope-through part 130 tobe formed, so as to avoid excessively widening the waist measurement ofa garment to which the garment attachment 100 is attached. On the otherhand, the garment attachment 100 may have a certain width in theright-left direction so as to also have a function of adjusting the sizeof the air-conditioned garment 200, as the third embodiment describedbelow.

(First and Second Connectors)

The first and second connectors 110, 120 may be configured as desiredaccording to a garment to which the garment attachment 100 is attached.When the garment has, as with the air-conditioned garment 200 in FIG. 1,a linear fastener as the first and second opening-closing parts 211, 212to open and close the front part of the garment, the first and secondconnectors 110, 120 are also a linear fastener.

More specifically, a linear fastener item that can engage with anddisengage from the first opening-closing part 211 is used as the firstconnector 110, and a linear fastener item that can engage with anddisengage from the second opening-closing part 212 is used as the secondconnector 120. The garment attachment 100 can therefore be attached tothe front part of the air-conditioned garment 200 between the first andsecond opening-closing parts 211, 212.

FIG. 1 shows a case where the first opening-closing part 211 of theair-conditioned garment 200 includes an insertion pin as well as teethof the linear fastener, and the second opening-closing part 212 includesa slider, a box, and a box pin as well as teeth of the linear fastener.In such a case, the first connector 110 includes a slider, a box, and abox pin as well as teeth of the linear fastener, and the secondconnector 120 includes an insertion pin as well as teeth of the linearfastener. Accordingly, the first connector 110 can engage with anddisengage from the first opening-closing part 211, and the secondconnector 120 can engage with and disengage from the secondopening-closing part 212.

Conversely, there may be a case where the first opening-closing part 211of the air-conditioned garment 200 includes a slider, a box, and a boxpin as well as teeth of the linear fastener, and the secondopening-closing part 212 includes an insertion pin as well as teeth ofthe linear fastener. In such a case, the first connector 110 includes aninsertion pin as well as teeth of the linear fastener, and the secondconnector 120 includes a slider, a box, and a box pin as well as teethof the linear fastener.

It is preferable that the length of the first and second connectors 110,120 in the up-down direction be the same as the length of the first andsecond opening-closing parts 211, 212 so that the first connector 110 isconnected to the entire first opening-closing part 211 and the secondconnector 120 is connected to the entire second opening-closing part212.

In such a case, the first connector 110 has the same structure as thesecond opening-closing part 212, and the second connector 120 has thesame structure as the first opening-closing part 211.

When the air-conditioned garment 200 uses an element(s) different from alinear fastener as the first and second opening-closing parts 211, 212,the first and second connectors 110, 120 need to have the correspondingstructure.

For example, when the first and second opening-closing parts 211, 212are a hook-and-loop fastener, the first connector 110 is a hook-and-loopfastener element that is connectable to the first opening-closing part211, and the second connector 120 is a hook-and-loop fastener elementthat is connectable to the second opening-closing part 212.

When the first opening-closing part 211 is a plurality of buttons andthe second opening-closing part 212 is a plurality of buttonholes, thefirst connector 110 is a plurality of buttonholes that is connectable tothe first opening-closing part 211, and the second connector 120 is aplurality of buttons that is connectable to the second opening-closingpart 212.

It is preferable, however, that linear fasteners be used in view ofstrength of connection and airtightness.

(Rope-Through Part)

The rope-through part 130 is a through hole for pulling out the ropeconnected to the wearer of the harness-type safety belt at the positioncorresponding to the front trunk of the wearer.

The rope-through part 130 is positioned at the center of the garmentattachment 100 in the right-left direction and slightly upward from thecenter in the up-down direction, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4. Therope-through part 130 includes an opening-closing hole part 131, a ropeinsertion part 132, and an air-leakage preventer 133, as shown in FIGS.3 to 5.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, the opening-closing hole part 131 is formed tofreely open and close a cut formed on the garment attachment 100 in theup-down direction. The cut is positioned at the center of the garmentattachment 100 in the right-left direction and slightly upward from thecenter in the up-down direction. As a means of freely opening andclosing the opening-closing hole part 131, a linear fastener can beused, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the rope insertion part 132 is formed to betubular. One end of the rope insertion part 132 is connected to theinside of the garment attachment 100, namely the side that faces thewearer when the garment attachment 100 is attached to the garment, so asto be along the opening-closing hole part 131. The other end of the ropeinsertion part 132 is equipped with the air-leakage preventer 133.

When the garment attachment 100 is attached to the air-conditionedgarment 200, the opening-closing hole part 131 and the rope insertionpart 132 form an opening that connects the inner and outer spaces of theair-conditioned garment 200.

The air-leakage preventer 133 forms a cord-through part 133 a at one endof the rope insertion part 132 opposite to the end connected to theregion around the opening-closing hole part 131, as shown in FIG. 5. Thecord-through part 133 a has two pulling-out openings 133 b. Through thecode-through part 133 a, a cord 133 c is inserted. The cord 133 c islonger than one loop through the cord-through part 133 a. The cord 133 cis equipped with a cord stopper 133 d at two ends protruding from thepulling-out openings 133 b.

By pulling both ends of the cord 133 c and fixing the code stopper 133 dat around the pulling-out openings 133 b, one end of the rope insertionpart 132 opposite to the end connected around the opening-closing holepart 131 can be closed while the rope of the harness-type safety belt isinserted through the opening. The air-leakage preventer 133 thusfunctions as an opening-closing part in the present invention.

When the rope-through part 130 is not used, the rope insertion part 132and the air-leakage preventer 133 are pushed inside the garmentattachment 100 through the opening-closing hole part 131. Theopening-closing hole part 131 is then closed. Thus, the rope-throughpart 130 can be housed inside the garment attachment 100, namely insidethe garment body 210 of the air-conditioned garment 200 to which thegarment attachment 100 is attached. When the rope-through part 130 isused, the opening-closing hole part 131 is opened to pull out the ropeinsertion part 132 and the air-leakage preventer 133.

<Advantageous Effects of Garment Attachment>

The rope-through part, which is for pulling out the rope of theharness-type safety belt from the front side of the air-conditionedgarment 200, is required only when the wearer wears the air-conditionedgarment 200 over the harness-type safety belt that connects the rope tothe front trunk of the wearer.

Preparing a dedicated individual air-conditioned garment 200 equippedwith the rope-through part places a heavy burden on both manufacturersand wearers of the air-conditioned garment 200. Furthermore, therope-through part can be an obstacle for the wearer when the wearer doesnot wear the air-conditioned garment 200 over the harness-type safetybelt that connects the rope to the front trunk of the wearer.

The garment attachment 100 according to the first embodiment can beattached to the garment body 210 between the first and secondopening-closing parts 211, 212 with the first and second connectors 110,120. The rope-through part 130 can therefore be provided at the frontpart of the air-conditioned garment 200 only when the air-conditionedgarment 200 is worn over the harness-type safety belt that connects therope to the front trunk of the wearer. This eliminates the need for adedicated air-conditioned garment and makes the air-conditioned garment200 suited for the harness-type safety belt that connects the rope tothe front trunk of the wearer.

Further, the garment attachment 100 can be detached from theair-conditioned garment 200 when the air-conditioned garment 200 is notworn over the harness-type safety belt that connects the rope to thefront trunk of the wearer. Thus, in ordinary times, the rope-throughpart does not obstruct the use of the air-conditioned garment 200.

Further, the rope-through part 130 includes the air-leakage preventer133. The air-leakage preventer 133 can close one end of the ropeinsertion part 132 opposite to the end connected around theopening-closing hole part 131 in a state where the rope of theharness-type safety belt is inserted. Thus, even when the rope of theharness-type safety belt is inserted, the air-leakage preventer 133 canprevent deteriorating the airtightness of the space inside the garmentbody 210 of the air-conditioned garment 200.

In this embodiment, the air-conditioned garment 200 is described as anexample of garments to which the garment attachment 100 is attachable.However, garments to which the garment attachment 100 is attachable arenot limited thereto. The garment attachment 100 can be attached to otherfront-open garments and can achieve similar effects.

The harness-type safety belt can be worn over a normal garment. Whenworn over the air-conditioned garment 200, however, the harness-typesafety belt may prevent swelling of the garment body 210 and sufficientair flow in the garment body 210. This may decrease cooling efficiency.Therefore, when the air-conditioned garment 200 is used with theharness-type safety belt, the air-conditioned garment 200 needs to beworn over the harness-type safety belt.

In this regard, the garment attachment 100 is required especially forthe air-conditioned garment 200, although usable for the other garments.

Second Embodiment

A garment attachment 100A according to a second embodiment is describedreferring to FIG. 6. The same parts as the garment attachment 100 in thefirst embodiment have the same reference numerals, and descriptionthereof is omitted.

The garment attachment 100A in the second embodiment provides, to afront-open garment, a through part for pulling out a belt. Examples ofthe belt include: a belt for a user to hold a mowing machine or anatomizer used for spraying disinfectant; and a seat belt of a vehicle.

In the description below, the air-conditioned garment 200 is used as anexample of garments to which the garment attachment 100A is attached, aswith the first embodiment.

<Structure of Garment Attachment>

The garment attachment 100A is equipped with a belt-through part 140instead of the rope-through part 130 in the first embodiment, as shownin FIG. 6, but otherwise the same as the garment attachment 100 in thefirst embodiment. The garment attachment 100A is rectangle and long inthe up-down direction. The garment attachment 100A includes: a firstconnector 110 on the right side to be connected to the right front partof a front-open garment; and a second connector 120 on the left side tobe connected to the left front part of the front-open garment.

(Belt-Through Part)

The belt-through part 140 is formed by: forming a cut on the garmentattachment 100A in the up-down direction at the center in the right-leftdirection; and making the cut freely connectable and detachable with alinear fastener, as shown in FIG. 6.

More specifically, the belt-through part 140 includes: right teeth 141provided at the right end of the cut; left teeth 142 formed at the leftend of the cut; and two sliders that are slidable in the up-downdirection to open and close the linear fastener, namely an upper slider143 and a lower slider 144, as shown in FIG. 6.

The belt-through part 140 is formed such that: the right and left teeth141, 142 are connected at the upper side of the upper slider 143 and atthe lower side of the lower slider 144; and the right and left teeth141, 142 separate between the upper and lower sliders 143, 144. When thegarment attachment 100A is attached to the air-conditioned garment 200,the belt-through part 140 forms an opening that connects the inner andouter spaces of the air-conditioned garment 200.

By moving the upper and lower sliders 143, 144, the position of theopening formed between them can be moved up and down, and the openingcan be closed with the belt inserted. The right and left teeth 141, 142and the upper and lower sliders 143, 144 thus function as anopening-closing part and a position changer in the present invention.

The cut that constitutes the belt-through part may be formed so as notto reach the upper and lower ends of the garment attachment 100A, asshown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the cut may be formed to reach the upperand lower ends of the garment attachment 100A so as to divide thegarment attachment 100A into right and left parts.

When the garment attachment 100A is divided into right and left parts,the right end of the cut is equipped with insertion pins at the upperand lower ends in addition to the teeth, and the left end of the cut isequipped with two sliders and boxes and box pins at the upper and lowerends in addition to the teeth. The right and left ends of the cut aretherefore connected at the upper side of the upper slider and at thelower side of the lower slider, and an opening is formed between the twosliders. Conversely, the right end of the cut may be equipped with twosliders and boxes and box pins at the upper and lower ends in additionto the teeth, and the left end of the cut may be equipped with insertionpins at the upper and lower ends in addition to the teeth.

When the garment attachment 100A is divided into right and left parts,the user can more easily insert the belt through the opening of thebelt-through part.

The cut constituting the belt-through part may be formed to reach onlyeither the upper or lower end of the garment attachment 100A.

<Advantageous Effects of Garment Attachment>

The belt-through part, which is for pulling out the belt from the frontside of the air-conditioned garment 200, is required only when the userwears the air-conditioned garment 200 over the belt, such as a belt fora user to hold a mowing machine or an atomizer for spraying disinfectantand a seat belt of a vehicle.

Preparing a dedicated individual air-conditioned garment 200 with thebelt-through part places a heavy burden on both manufacturers andwearers of the air-conditioned garment 200. Furthermore, thebelt-through part can be an obstacle for the wearer when the wearer doesnot wear the air-conditioned garment 200 over the belt.

The garment attachment 100A of the second embodiment is attachable tothe air-conditioned garment 200 only when the air-conditioned garment200 is worn over the above-described belt. Through the opening formedbetween the upper and lower sliders 143, 144 of the belt-through part140, the belt can pass between the inner and outer spaces of the garmentbody 210 of the air-conditioned garment 200. This eliminates the needfor a dedicated air-conditioned garment, and the air-conditioned garment200 can be worn over the above-mentioned belt.

Further, the garment attachment 100A is detachable from theair-conditioned garment 200 when the air-conditioned garment 200 is notworn over the above-described belt. Thus, in ordinary times, thebelt-through part does not obstruct the use of the air-conditionedgarment 200.

Further, according to the garment attachment 100A, the position and thesize of the opening formed between the upper and lower sliders 143, 144can be changed by moving the upper and lower sliders 143, 144.

The desired position and size of the opening, through which the belt isinserted, depend on the detailed structure and usage of the belt, suchas a belt for a user to hold a mowing machine or an atomizer forspraying disinfectant and a seat belt of a vehicle. According to thisembodiment, the position and size of the opening for inserting the beltcan be adjusted by moving the upper and lower sliders 143, 144 upwardsand downwards. The garment attachment 100A can therefore be suited forvarious types of belts as described above.

Further, by moving the upper and lower sliders 143, 144 to adjust theposition and size of the opening formed between them, the opening can beclosed with the belt inserted. This can prevent deterioratingairtightness of the space inside the garment body 210 of theair-conditioned garment 200 with the belt inserted.

In this embodiment, the air-conditioned garment 200 is used as anexample of garments to which the garment attachment 100A is attachable.However, the garments to which the garment attachment 100A is attachableare not limited thereto. The garment attachment 100A is attachable toother front-open garments 200 and can achieve similar effects.

The above-described belt can be worn over a normal garment. When wornover the air-conditioned garment 200, however, the belt may preventswelling of the garment body 210 and sufficient air flow in the garmentbody 210. This may decrease cooling efficiency. Therefore, when theair-conditioned garment 200 is used with the above-described belt, theair-conditioned garment 200 need to be worn over the belt.

In this regard, the garment attachment 100A is required especially forthe air-conditioned garment 200, although usable for the other garments.

Third Embodiment

A garment attachment 100B according to a third embodiment is describedreferring to FIG. 7. The same parts as the garment attachment 100 in thefirst embodiment have the same reference numerals, and descriptionthereof is omitted.

The garment attachment 100B according to the third embodiment adjuststhe size of a front-open garment.

In the description below, the air-conditioned garment 200 is used as anexample of garments to which the garment attachment 100B is attached, aswith the first embodiment.

<Structure of Garment Attachment>

The garment attachment 100B does not include the rope-through part 130of the first embodiment and therefore does not have an opening, as shownin FIG. 7, but is otherwise the same as the garment attachment 100 inthe first embodiment. The garment attachment 100B is rectangle and longin the up-down direction. The garment attachment 100B includes: thefirst connector 110 on the right side to be connected to the right frontpart of a front-open garment; and the second connector 120 on the leftside to be connected to the left front part of the front-open garment.

The length of the garment attachment 100B in the right-left direction isdetermined depending on the length for which the garment body 210 of theair-conditioned garment 200 is extended in the waist measurementdirection.

It is preferable that the garment attachment 100B cover the entirelength of the front part of the garment body 210 in the up-downdirection so as to keep the inside of the garment body 210 airtight.

<Advantageous Effects of Garment Attachment>

Wearers of the air-conditioned garment 200 have various physicalcharacteristics. In particular, the waist measurement varies greatlybetween individuals. It is therefore difficult to prepare individualgarments suited for all physical characteristics.

Multiple kinds of garment attachments 100B having different lengths inthe right-left direction can be combined with the air-conditionedgarment 200 to adjust the waist measurement of the garment body 210 ofthe air-conditioned garment 200. A single air-conditioned garment 200can therefore be suited for wearers having various physicalcharacteristics. Accordingly, the manufacturers of the garments canreduce the number of commercially available sizes, and the wearer canwear a garment of his/her size.

In this embodiment, the air-conditioned garment 200 is used as anexample of garments to which the garment attachment 100B is attachable.However, the garments to which the garment attachment 100B is attachableare not limited thereto. The garment attachment 100B is attachable toother front-open garments and can achieve similar effects.

Fourth Embodiment

A garment attachment 100C according to a fourth embodiment is describedreferring to FIGS. 8, 9. The same parts as the garment attachment 100 inthe first embodiment have the same reference numerals, and descriptionthereof is omitted.

The garment attachment 100C in the fourth embodiment provides a functionas an air-conditioned garment for a front-open garment.

The garment attachment 100C is attachable to a garment that is (i) madeof sheet material having no breathability or having breathability thatallows the garment to swell with air introduced by the fan 160 mountedon the garment attachment 100C, (ii) formed to cover at least the trunkof the wearer, and (iii) provided with openings at sleeves, collars, orany other parts to release air. Examples of such a garment include anormal jacket and a raincoat.

The garment 200A shown in FIG. 9 is the same blouson-shaped garment asthe air-conditioned garment 200 except that the garment 200A does notinclude the fans 220, 220, the power source 230, and the connectingcable 240, and that the garment body 210A does not include the fanmounters 214, 214, the power-source holder 217, and the cable holders218, 218. However, the garments to which the garment attachment 100C isattachable are not limited thereto.

In attaching the garment attachment 100C to a garment the hem part ofwhich is not narrowed and thereby forms a large space between the hempart and the trunk of the wearer, it is preferable that a certainair-leakage prevention means be used, such as a rubber ring around thetrunk of the wearer, to prevent air from leaking outside through the hempart.

<Configuration of Garment Attachment>

As shown in FIG. 8, the garment attachment 100C includes: a fan mounter150; a fan 160 to be mounted on the fan mounter 150; a power source 170that supplies electric power for the fan 160; a connecting cable 180that connects the fan 160 and the power source 170; and a power-sourceholder 190 for mounting the power source 170 on the garment attachment100C, instead of including the rope-through part 130 of the firstembodiment. The other components are the same as the garment attachment100 in the first embodiment. More specifically, the garment attachment100C is rectangular and long in the up-down direction and includes thefirst connector 110 to be connected to the right front part of afront-open garment and the second connector 120 to be connected to theleft front part of the front-open garment.

Although only one fan 160 is mounted in FIGS. 8, 9, the number of fansis not limited to one. Two or more fan mounters 150 may be provided tomount two or more fans 160.

(Fan Mounter)

The fan mounter 150 is provided at the center of the garment attachment100C in the up-down direction and the right-left direction, as shown inFIGS. 8, 9. The fan mounter 150 has the same structure as the fanmounter 214 of the air-conditioned garment 200. More specifically, thefan mounter 150 includes: an opening hole 151 formed on the garmentattachment 100C; and an opening-hole stiffener 152 that stiffens theregion around the opening hole 151. The opening-hole stiffener 152 isprovided on the inside of the garment attachment 100C, namely the sidethat faces the user when the garment attachment 100C is attached to thegarment 200A and used. The opening-hole stiffener 152 may be coveredwith a lining at the inside of the garment attachment 100C.

The fan mounter 150 is not limited to the above and may be configured asdesired as long as the fan 160 is attachable to the garment attachment100C.

(Fan)

The fan 160 has the same structure as the fan 220 of the air-conditionedgarment 200. As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, the fan 160 is mounted on the fanmounter 150 and introduces air through the opening hole 151 into thespace between the wearer and the garment 200A to which the garmentattachment 100C is attached. The fan 160 thus functions as an airintroducer in the present invention.

The fan 160 is supplied with necessary electric power by the powersource 170 through the connecting cable 180.

(Power Source)

The power source 170 has the same structure as the power source 230 ofthe air-conditioned garment 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the power source170 is held inside the garment attachment 100C and supplies the fan 160with electric power through the connecting cable 180. The power source170 thereby functions as a power source in the present invention.

(Connecting Cable)

The connecting cable 180 connects the power source 170 and the fan 160,as shown in FIG. 8. Through the connecting cable 180, the power source170 supplies necessary electric power for operating the fan 160 to thefan 160. The connecting cable 180 thus functions as a connecting part inthe present invention.

The connecting cable 180 does not folk into two branches at the end tobe connected to the fan 160, but is otherwise the same as the connectingcable 240 of the air-conditioned garment 200.

(Power-Source Holder)

The power-source holder 190 is a pocket, as with the power-source holder217 of the air-conditioned garment 200, and is provided inside thegarment attachment 100C as shown in FIG. 8. The power-source holder 190houses the power source 170. Although the power-source holder 190 isprovided below the fan mounter 150 on the inside of the garmentattachment 100C in FIG. 8, the position of the power-source mounter 190is not limited thereto. The power-source holder 190 can be provided atany position on the inside of the garment attachment 100C.

As with the power-source holder 217 of the air-conditioned garment 200,the power-source holder 190 may not necessarily be a pocket. Thepower-source holder 190 may be configured as desired as long as thepower source 170 is detachably mounted on the inside of the garmentattachment 100C. Further, the garment attachment 100C may not have apower-source holder on the inside. For example, the power source 170 maybe mounted on the belt of the trousers of the wearer with a clip or thelike, instead of being mounted on the garment attachment 100C.

<Advantageous Effects of Garment Attachment>

The garment attachment 100C in the fourth embodiment can provide thesame function as the air-conditioned garment 200 for a normal front-opengarment, such as a jacket and a raincoat.

The garment attachment 100C may also be attached to the air-conditionedgarment 200 to enhance the cooling function of the air-conditionedgarment 200.

The garment attachment 100C may further include the rope-through part130 of the first embodiment or the belt-through part 140 of the secondembodiment. In such a case, a normal front-open garment can have thesame function as the first or second embodiment as well as the samefunction as the air-conditioned garment 200.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is suitably applicable to a field of manufacturinggarment attachments and garments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

100, 100A, 100B, 100C Garment attachment

110 First connector

120 Second connector

130 Rope-through part

133 Air-leakage preventer (opening-closing part)

140 Belt-through part

141 Right teeth (opening-closing part, position changer)

142 Left teeth (opening-closing part, position changer)

143 Upper slider (opening-closing part, position changer)

144 Lower slider (opening-closing part, position changer)

160 Fan (air introducer)

170 Power source (power source)

180 Connecting cable (connecting part)

200 Air-conditioned garment

200A Garment

1. A garment attachment, comprising: a first connector that is freelyconnectable to and detachable from a right front part of a front-opengarment; and a second connector that is freely connectable to anddetachable from a left front part of the front-open garment, whereinwith the first connector and the second connector, the garmentattachment is freely attachable to and detachable from the front-opengarment between divided front parts of the garment.
 2. The garmentattachment according to claim 1, wherein the first connector and thesecond connector include teeth of a linear fastener, the first connectorand/or the second connector includes a slider of the linear fastener,and with the first connector and the second connector, the garmentattachment is freely attachable to and detachable from the garment in alinear fastener provided to the divided front parts of the garment. 3.The garment attachment according to claim 1, wherein the garmentattachment attached to the garment forms an opening that connects innerand outer spaces of the garment, and the garment attachment furtherincludes an opening-closing part to freely open and close the opening.4. The garment attachment according to claim 3, further comprising aposition changer to change a position of the opening.
 5. The garmentattachment according to claim 4, wherein the opening-closing part andthe position changer are a linear fastener that includes sliders betweenwhich the opening is formed.
 6. The garment attachment according toclaim 1, further comprising: an air introducer that introduces airinside the garment; a power source that supplies electric power to theair introducer; and a connecting part that connects the power source andthe air introducer.
 7. A garment comprising the garment attachmentaccording to claim
 1. 8. The garment according to claim 7, wherein thegarment is an air-conditioned garment.